choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
Leiden
Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...
in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
between 1796 and 1802. It was the first mixed youth choir in
Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
.
Establishment of the choir
1796, the second year of the
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic ( nl, Bataafse Republiek; french: République Batave) was the successor state to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 and ended on 5 June 1806, with the accession of Louis Bona ...
in the Netherlands, saw the start of a remarkable project at the orphanage. The aim of the project was to provide the children of the orphanage with musical education. A choir was to be formed expressly for orphans from the age of 15, boys and girls. The repertoire was to consist of songs of a religious nature though not exclusively
Psalms
The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...
as would normally be the case.
Though it is not clear who was responsible for the establishment of the choir, we do know the name of the singing master in the trial period: J.H.T. Duville. This resident of Leiden was a private music teacher, either from the
Southern Netherlands
The Southern Netherlands, also called the Catholic Netherlands, were the parts of the Low Countries belonging to the Holy Roman Empire which were at first largely controlled by Habsburg Spain (Spanish Netherlands, 1556–1714) and later by the A ...
(the present Belgium) or
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. He began teaching in January 1796. It is most likely that the establishment of the choir can be linked to the presence from 1795 of the French in the Netherlands. The orphanage’s board of
trustee
Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...
s that founded the choir was very much in favour of the French and the ideals of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
. The progress made in the first few months was so much to the satisfaction of the trustees, that they decided to establish the choir (the ‘Zangcollege’ or ‘Zanginstituut’) officially on 19 April 1796.
Music director
Duville was called away, shortly after the official start of the choir, leaving them in need of a replacement. But fortunately one was soon found: organist and composer Christian Friedrich Ruppe (1753-1826). At that time he was director of music at the
Leiden University
Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...
and organist at the
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
church in Leiden. He accepted the position and commenced his duties in July 1796.
Concerts and recession
From the time of his arrival the choir was funded by donations and the proceeds of concerts in which it participated. In the course of its existence four concerts were given in the
Hooglandse Kerk
The Hooglandse Kerk is a Gothic church in Leiden. Its earliest parts date back to the last quarter of the fourteenth century. Most of the current structure dates from the fifteenth century. The brick church was dedicated to St. Pancras and today ...
, one of the two largest reformed churches in Leiden. Ruppe wrote works especially for the occasions, as well as songs written for the education and enjoyment of the children themselves. The first concert was given on the day following
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
1796.
From the end of 1797 the choir faced a period of decline, mainly due to the worsening economic situation of the Batavian Republic as a whole and of the institution in particular. In spite of this, the quality and quantity of music written for the choir remained constant. The last concert took place on 27 December 1798. The dissolution of the choir came soon after, in August 1799. The books were closed on 12 January 1802.
European significance
Despite its short existence, the orphan choir displayed a number of remarkable aspects, some of which can even be called unique: The choir can be considered as the first mixed youth choir in Western Europe. It is also the first instance in the Netherlands of
music education
Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...
being given to children of a lower
social class
A social class is a grouping of people into a set of Dominance hierarchy, hierarchical social categories, the most common being the Upper class, upper, Middle class, middle and Working class, lower classes. Membership in a social class can for ...
, and in a form that offered a variety of educational experiences; the children were taught to sing in a choir that performed in public and used texts of a religious nature. The trustees also saw participation in the choir as partly a recreational activity, which was quite a remarkable idea in view of the rather austere circumstances of parentless children in Dutch society. The select group of children participating in the choir could also be held up as an example to the rest of the children of the orphanage; those who did not sing in the choir were present at the concerts. The music written for them by Ruppe is an excellent example of Dutch religious music in the Classical Style.
Resident composer
Settings of works by well known
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
s from around Leiden were included in the orphan choir’s repertoire. Probably the best known of these poets is Hieronymus van Alphen (1746-1803) who by this time had written his famous poems for children, some of which were set by Ruppe and in the years 1822-1830 published.
It is of course very rare for such a choir to have a
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''Di ...
who is also its own resident
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
. Of the music that Christian Friedrich Ruppe wrote for the choir, only two pieces written for performances have survived: the ‘Kerstmuziek 1796’ (‘Music for Christmas 1796’) and the ‘Muziek voor het Paaschfeest 1797’ (‘Music for Easter 1797’). The manuscript of the ‘Kerstmuziek 1796’ was discovered in 1987 when a new
inventory
Inventory (American English) or stock (British English) refers to the goods and materials that a business holds for the ultimate goal of resale, production or utilisation.
Inventory management is a discipline primarily about specifying the shap ...
was made of the archives of the Heilige Geest Orphanage. The pieces can be seen in the light of the vocal music from the time of the ‘godsdienstige zanggenootschappen’, so called religious choral societies, which existed in the Netherlands in the years (1790) 1800-1820.
Religious choral societies 1790-1820
The music manuscripts of the works made for the choral societies of
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
,
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
, Middelburg and other towns in the Netherlands are believed to be lost. The existing evidence consists of printed pamphlets with the text of the cantatas and newspaper announcements. They rarely contain any evidence of the music, but give some idea of the form and sometimes the scale of the pieces performed.
The manuscripts of the Christmas and Easter music for the Leiden orphan choir are among the few documents preserved from the above-mentioned period that give evidence of this national phenomenon. These choral societies performed
cantata
A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir.
The meaning of ...
s and other varieties of vocal music in the Dutch language. A number of these choirs were established to aid the introduction in 1807 of the new "Evangelische Gezangen", a supplement to the Psalms. Others however had a much more ambitious agenda. These choirs performed, often with orchestral accompaniment on the main Christian holy days. However, the events were not liturgical and open to the general public. Tickets were sold, the proceeds often going to charity. There is evidence that a lecture or
sermon
A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...
was given in combination with the musical performance in many cases. The public activities of the Leiden orphan choir also fit this description.
Though there is evidence of activity of religious choral societies before 1800, the bulk seems to have occurred from 1800 to 1820. This coincides with an important political development; 1798 saw the ratification (imposed by the French) of a new
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
. One of the most important provisions of this new constitution was the effective
separation of church and state
The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...
. As a consequence, the
Dutch reformed church
The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...
was no longer entirely supported by the state, leaving the churches in the
Republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
to devise other means of gathering funds for their activities, largely those in support of the
poor
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little
committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
was established particularly for this purpose in 1798. Given the charitable character of the ‘zanggenootschap’ concerts it is very likely that this was one of the ways the church attempted to accrue additional funds. The organizers of these societies were largely members of the
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
or associated with it. That they chose this way of generating funds is quite remarkable given the period with its turmoil and social and economic unrest. It also presupposes a broad interest in
religious music
Religious music (also sacred music) is a type of music that is performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred or not, performed or composed for or as ritual. Relig ...
of a rather modern nature which given the dominance of the Psalms in the
church music
Church music is Christian music written for performance in church, or any musical setting of ecclesiastical liturgy, or music set to words expressing propositions of a sacred nature, such as a hymn.
History
Early Christian music
The onl ...
in the Netherlands is equally remarkable.
Debut
The first concert, given on 27 December 1796, described as Third Christmas Day was a resounding success despite the cold. About a thousand souls attended the concert including the other children of the orphanage. Before and after the Christmas Cantata (Ruppe had composed adjuncting parts) the former Middelburg pastor Johannes Hendricus van der Palm (1763-1840) had given an instructive sermon. In his sermon, this new Leiden Professor had rhetorically asked those attending if Jesus himself would approve less of hearing music sung by the needy (the ‘behoeftigen’). Instrumentalists from the Leiden university, the refugee
stadtholder
In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and H ...
bourgeoisie
The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...
had supported the singers. In the Hooglandse Kerk, the immense church building in the immediate vicinity of the orphanage, the singing orphans together with the sound of
horn
Horn most often refers to:
*Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound
** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments
*Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...
s,
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
s,
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
s and
kettledrums
Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditiona ...
chosen by composer Christian Ruppe must have surely made a lasting impression. An extensive and enthusiastic review in the ''Leydse Courant'' bears witness to this.
Ibid.
Ibid. is an abbreviation for the Latin word '' ibīdem'', meaning "in the same place", commonly used in an endnote, footnote, bibliography citation, or scholarly reference to refer to the source cited in the preceding note or list item. This ...